Monday, November 29, 2010

I have a great site to share with yall! I'm sure you are all familiar with Shutterfly but if you haven't checked them out this year for your Christmas card then you have got to go check out their precious photo cards. Here are a few of the possible cards you may be finding in your mail box from me very soon.

My favorites are cards where the picture is the main focus.

These are fun and a little funky. I love the pink!These are classic and both beautiful

Also, are you looking for a great gift? Check out the calendars Shutterfly has to offer! Mom has one with pictures of my sister and I, some months with recent pictures, some with childhood pictures, some with a mix. Last year for Christmas, my cousin Shelby gave our grandparents a Shutterfly calendar with a photo of Daisy from every month of her first year. They travel a lot and this was a great way to display her picture all the time in their motor home. Everyone needs a calendar! The best part?! Personalize the dates with family birthdays and special messages!Ok, one last thing! Are you planning a party this holiday season? Unfortunately after throwing a Halloween bash I won't be but if you know me you know I love to throw a good party. If you do have a party coming up either for Christmas or to ring in 2011, Shutterfly also has the invites you're going to be looking for!

Now... Why did I post about Shutterfly today? If you have your own blog, go here to find out! Happy shopping!

Saturday, November 27, 2010

Happy belated Thanksgiving! I hope you had a wonderful long weekend celebrating your blessings. Because my weekend has been so long and full of late night shopping and way too much to eat, I'm going to blog a numbered list of what's been going on.

1. Aside from the Lord, my family, friends, health, home, and all other things very dear to me, I'm most thankful this week for a break from school. We were off all week and it was much needed. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel that is this semester and the weeks until Christmas will be full of lots of fun and memories with my kiddos.

2. Sunday night my friend Jennifer sent me a text asking me to babysit on Tuesday and Wednesday. I debated at first how to respond because part of me wanted freedom on my break but I wanted to see her kids and help her too. I told her I would so I kept Cate, Maggie and Walt for two days. They are so much fun! We went for a long walk around Jefferson on Tues and to see Tangled on Wed. My review on Tangled- super cute!

3. Wednesday night Mom, Lydia and I went downtown to see the lighting of the court house. This year is beautiful! Washington St. is covered in colored lights and there are two light shows every night where the court house lights are choreographed with a Christmas song. So much more to do and see than in years past.

4. Thursday was a lot of visiting and eating with family. Lydia and I were gearing up for Black Friday on and off all day.

5. Thursday night around 11 Lydia and I went to pick up our cousin Shelby and headed out to Wal-Mart. We did our shopping there and got everything we went for. We dropped Shelby off and went straight to Old Navy. They were over capacity (a little before 2:00 a.m.) when we got there so we waited outside in a short line until enough customers came out for us to be allowed in. We did our shopping and got in line to check out. When I say line I mean a LINE! The line wrapped around the perimeter of the store and we were in it for over an hour. The trade off was great deals! PJ pants for $5 and I got some jackets and sweaters that are priced at $34 and $39 for $15. My receipt says I saved $96 so I thought that was successful. I've been trying to get a big sack of clothes together to get rid of and now that I have some nice new things I will be more motivated to clean out some. Hopefully.

We got home around 4:30 Friday morning and went to bed!

6. We saw more family on Friday and today (Sat.) and now I'm exhausted!

(Sorry the pictures stopped after 2 days!)

7. My Christmas decor is up at my house and I'm loving my tree. I will do a special post with pictures soon. There's a few more things I want to grab and add before I take the official pictures.

8. Tomorrow is church and getting ready for the week. I was so ready to get out of the school last Friday that I left my room a mess so I'll be up there at some point getting that cleaned up and prepared.

9. I think I mentioned in a previous post that Chelsea's cousin was very sick. She passed away this week. Please keep them in your prayers.

10. In less than a month Chelsea and I will be headed to Nashville to see this guy. So excited!

In the learning room... ~10's and 1's, the th sound, plants, maps and globes, proper nouns and Thanksgiving

I am remembering... ~a fun weekend with my sister and family

I am going... ~to Nashville in 6 weeks! Chelsea and I got tickets to see a guy named Garth Brooks. Not sure if you've ever heard of him.

I am currently reading... ~a book borrowed from a friend about creative learning stations

I am hoping... ~my kids finish out the semester strong and they all continue to grow and learn. They are so precious to me!

On my mind... ~Janessa. She is Chelsea's cousin who is very sick with leukemia and septic shock. She's our age. Her and her family are constantly on my mind. My heart hurts so deeply for them. I put my cousin Shelby in that place and can not even comprehend it.

Noticing that... ~ the sun lit mornings make me much happier

From the kitchen... ~Parmesan crusted tilapia, brown rice, asparagus, broccoli, and homemade granola. Don't start thinking that I'm some kind of super weeknight cook. The fish was from the frozen seafood section at Wal-Mart. You know that little cooler between the meat and bread? 25 minutes in the oven and a couple of minutes on broil and it is amazing! I've also heard you can get a package with more for your money at Sams. Check it out!

Around the house... ~dishwasher almost full, washing machine going, Dancing the the Stars on tv